Stopping a Bus
Posted by Fred Jandt
Mass Transit magazine editor
Bus stops vary wildly in the transit industry. They can range from little more than a simple sign — and sometimes less than that — to elaborate designs showcasing local flair and artistic talent. Everyone has their favorite, but do they help increase ridership or bring in other revenue to an agency? Or are they just a novelty?
I recently read an article about a bus stop in Oslo, Norway, that utilized an interesting promotion with a local ski resort. The shelter’s end wall had a window in it you could see through with a tag line under it that said, “If it’s snowing in here, it’s snowing up at Tryvann.â€
If it snowed up at the resort, the staff could just send an SMS text message that would activate fans causing snow to fall in the window. A second message could be sent to stop the falling snow. The report I read said the resort loved the advertisement and saw crowd increases as a result.
After seeing this I searched around the Web for more unique bus stops and saw a plethora of photos ranging from the massive bus stop statue in Ventura, Calif., to swings, light sabers, a stop painted like the Simpsons’ living room and a selection of fruit-themed (and shaped) bus stops in Japan. I have to wonder, though, have any of these added value — beyond tourist attractions — to a bus system?
In San Francisco’s Got Milk? ads at several Muni stops had cookie-scented strips attached to them. The idea being the smell of hot, fresh chocolate chip cookies would make people want milk. Complaints resulted in the promotion being taken down in less than two days.
I’m interested to hear what are some of the best bus stop designs/promotions you’ve seen at transit agencies and how successful were they. I know being successful for the advertiser is different than the agency, so I’d like to hear from both sides on this. And were any of these promotions potentially detrimental to the agency, even publicity-wise, as in San Francisco?
And don’t think I am looking at bus stops exclusively. I know there are just as many train stations out there with great designs, but bus stops are a much more finite space than most train stations. That said, if you know of a great platform design let’s hear about that, too.
And include links to photos if possible. We all want to see what you’ve seen.
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Thanks for reading the MT Position updated every Friday,
Fred
fred.jandt@cygnusb2b.com
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March 27th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Attractive bus stop signs are a vital part of a transit system’s marketing stragety. The signs tell the public,
“We (the bus operation) do business here” Transit is in the retail business, one person taking a trip multiplied by hundreds, thousands or even millions. Bus stop signs should be two sided, of reflective material and attractive. Do not forget to display the appropriate timetable for routes stopping.
March 28th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I’ve been through a lot of cities and towns where the bus stops were ‘minimalist’. Barstow, California come to mind as most recent. Just barely a sign. No route information, no hours of operation, no phone number to call to inquire about service.
I asked nearby merchants about transit service, and they were dumbfounded. There IS a bus (or two) in Barstow. When it comes by and where it goes is a mystery.
I worked in Atlanta during the ’96 Olympic Games. Many of the really old Atlanta Transit Sysytem bus stops still remained then. These are nothing more thn a concrete mini-monument. Looks like grave markers. Many of the transit systems in the south did this. If you want to find the bus stop, look for the grave marker!
Probably one of the best bus stops I’ve seen is Phoenix’ Central Station it’s not only an amalgam of bus, bus information, plaza and snack carts, there is a mini museum display with two vintage buses and a PCC streetcar (purists will tell you Phoenix never ran PCC cars, but give them credit – it’s one less streetcar gone to the scrapper!). They have crews that try to keep up the appearance of the terminal, and the information boards are understandable. They get credit.
Also of note is Albuquerque’s Rapid Ride stops. “Rapid Ride’ is ABQ Ride’s quasi-BRT service. They are seperate from the regular bus stops. Most are sheltered with ramada roofs and benches, and have dot-matrix message boards as to the current time, and estimated wait for the next Rapid Ride. The city makes an endeavored effort to keep them clean as well.
A recent revisit to Chicago, many of the bus stops on the Magnificent Mile (North Michigan Avenue), the advertiser is using an “Adshell” type of combination shelter with poster ad, but the poster ad rotates (much like the old fashioned destination signs)! So within a few minutes, you get images and ads from several advertisers. I’m told, JCDecaux bus shelters provide over 3000 backlit advertising panels within the city of Chicago, delivering the best coverage downtown and throughout the neighborhoods. Impressive!
http://www.jcdecauxna.com/pages/street/MainGallery.aspx
Here’s other interesting bus stops:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:20071107_New_CTA_Bus_Stop_with_3D_ad.JPG
http://www.unstbusshelter.shetland.co.uk/assets/images/IMG_0373.JPG
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2007/06/05/DDGM2Q5NH91.DTL&o=
January 5th, 2010 at 2:31 am
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